There is a popular beach area for kite surfers and those who want to spend some time near the water, just outside of Abu Dhabi. The beach is on Yas Island and conveniently located near the Ikea and Ace hardware stores. Actually that is how I found the place, on my way to IKEA then went right instead of left after exiting the motorway when I saw the beach. It’s very easy to find and as there are large power lines going the length of the beach but you drive past those a ways to actually get to the water. The area leading to the beach is all well compacted sand with what appeared to be some remnants of a road. You do not need a 4wd vehicle if you stay on the hard compacted sand, which is easily done all the way to the edge of the water. There were plenty of small sedans parked up and down the beach, including ours. This is a good beach option if heading to the corniche downtown is either too far or you don’t feel like dealing with the traffic or limited parking situation there. This kitesurfing beach is near the Yas waterpark, Ferrari World, airport and the huge new mall they are building on Yas Island; so there is plenty going on in the area there. There were lots of families spending the day there and even a few tents set up. This is a great beach option for just outside Abu Dhabi, even if you’re not into kitesurfing, which most people heading to the far end of the beach go for.